


Lullaby

by SmokySky



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Canon, Reunions, The Author Regrets Everything, This is pointless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokySky/pseuds/SmokySky
Summary: Jack is haunted by a lullaby he heard as a boy, and the girl who sung it to him.
Relationships: Jack Sparrow/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	1. Prologue

_I see the moon,_   
_The moon sees me,_   
_God bless the moon,_   
_and God bless me._

Jack looked up from the fire to where the maid was snuffing out the candles.

She was a new one - after the last one had left in disgrace, his mother had hired her: choosing her mostly for the fact she was far too young for his father's tastes. Jack wasn't sure he was supposed to know that, but it was hard not to hear his parents when they were fighting. His father had been unhappy that he hadn't gotten his way, had stormed out and still hadn't returned, so now Jack was left with a melancholy mother and a maid only seven years older than his six years to take care of him.

Despite her young age, it seemed to be the maid who did more of the looking after. She'd been here a week, and Jack had seen her more in that week than he had of his mother in the last month. She rarely spoke to him, but when she was around there were clean clothes in the chest at the foot of his bed, a fire in the fireplace, and food on the kitchen table. And singing.

It was the singing that Jack cared about the most.

  
  
_I see the stars,_  
 _The stars see me,_  
 _God bless the stars,_  
 _and God bless me._  
  


The last of the candles out, the maid turned to make her way out of the room - only for Jack to call out to her: "Where did you learn that song?"

A little surprised, if the expression on her face was anything to go by, the maid turned back to look at Jack: "My aunties used to sing it for me when my mother was working."

"It's nice. Could you sing it for a little bit longer?" Jack asked tentatively. His mother didn't like him asking things, but as his father said - if you don't ask, you don't get: "Maybe until I fall asleep?"

"If you like, Master Teague."

The maid stepped a little further into the room, settling herself on the linen chest at the end of the bed, and continuing to sing.

Jack watched the firelight flicker over her auburn hair: turning it all different shades of red: from gleaming copper to crimson to deep, dark blood, spilling all down her back, moving with her breathing and providing an evermoving backdrop for the only jewellery she over wore: a pair of black pearl earrings. He lost himself in watching the light reflect off of her hair and the pearls, until he felt himself starting to drift away to sleep.

_I see the seas,_  
 _The seas see me,_  
 _God bless the seas,_  
 _And God bless me._  
  


More asleep than awake, Jack didn't see the maid standing to take her leave, or hear her soft footsteps over the old floorboards. He wasn't aware of her pausing to look over her shoulder at him as she finished her lullaby, but somehow the last few words did manage to make their way into his mind.

_I know an angel,_   
_Watches over me,_   
_God bless my angel,_   
_And God bless me._

Even mostly asleep, Jack decided he didn't need blessings - he felt safe enough already. The maid wore a sword at her hip, and cared enough to sing him to sleep, when his own mother barely cared enough to feed him most of the time.

He knew who was watching over him.

He'd be fine.


	2. Lullaby

"I see the moon...the moon sees me...God bless the moon, God bless me."

Jack ignored the snickering he heard from the other cell, and continued to look up at the moon through the bars on the window of his cell.

He didn't much care for God's blessings: either for the moon or for himself, but it didn't stop from the song coming to mind during the quiet parts of the night. Particularly when he was stuck somewhere with nothing to do - like in a jail cell.

And where memories of the lullaby danced through his head, the beautiful Beatrice who had sung it to him was rarely far behind, even if he'd rather she didn't.

He was a bloody captain now, he didn't need the memory of some girl he didn't know where to find.

Admittedly, he still wore a black pearl earring strung on a thin chain around his wrist, wrapped carefully between layers of the rags he had tied there, and yes he'd named his ship The _Black Pearl_ (and the _Pearl_ was still his bloody ship, even it had been stolen from him) in honour of that earring and it's owner, and, alright, he had never quite managed to actually not have Beatrice somewhere in the back of his mind, but...still. She should stay at the back of his mind. He was a busy man, with things to do. And yet...and, well, yet.

Jack missed Beatrice, even after over a decade of not seeing her or hearing from her or even knowing if she was alive or not. The last he saw of her was when he was fifteen, when she was being dragged away by men his mother invited into the house, kicking and screaming bloody murder from having fought tooth and nail to keep them at bay. In the end all her fighting - and Jack's - had come to nothing, and she had left him behind with nothing but one of her earrings, ripped out during the fight, and the short sword she had worn at her hip. He'd left the house himself very next day, unable to forgive his mother for sending away his - _he shuddered to admit even think it now_ \- first love. It had been naught but a crush, and he was well and truly over her now, but...well, you always remembered your first, didn't you? Not that Jack actually remembered the first time he bedded a woman...

What could he say? Rum was more interesting than hearing some woman blathering on about some pointless drivel. Beatrice had never done that - not that he compared what other women did to Beatrice's behavior.

Basically forgotten all about her. Obviously.

  
"I see the stars, the stars see me...God bless the stars, god bless me."

He just liked the song.

That was all.

Just the song.

Sighing, Jack focused on the stars in the sky. He was going to get out of the cell somehow, he just didn't know how yet. Probably annoy the guard until he came close enough to swipe the keys off of his belt - it really was surprising how often that worked. You'd think they'd get wise to prisoners doing it, but apparently not, not that Jack was complaining. It gave him time to lay on the bench that was the cell's 'bed' and get a few hours rest while the jailor got drunk enough to be easily angered, at which point Jack could talk him over, irritate him until he was punched in the face, and snag the keys on his way down. It was a simple yet elegant plan, one of Jack's finer ones even if he did say so himself.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. The guard never made it to a state of drunkenness where Jack could easily manipulate him - Jack couldn't see him from where he was imprisoned, but he knew the sound of someone getting their throat cut, and from the sounds of it...well, the guard wasn't going to be punching _anyone_ in a rage any time soon. Or anything else.

Curious as to who would break into a Royal Navy prison, Jack pressed himself into the corner of his cell to try and get a peek of what was happening. It wasn't much - three shadowy figures, pirates by the way the dressed, although that wasn't surprising considering they'd just killed a Navy man. The two smaller figures were keeping watch while the largest was playing the keys through the fingers of his left hand, while the right rested on the but of his pistol.

_Not a friendly visit then._

The murmurs of the men who had laughed at Jack's singing grew in urgency, repeating a name in relief at the sign of the small crew: "Tommy - "

"Black-Hearted Bess sends her apologies, gents, but she's been rather busy." Tommy interrupted, his voice loud and clear for a man who Jack would've thought wanted to keep his presence a secret.

It didn't bode well.

After all - Jack knew of Black-Hearted Bess. Captain of the dreaded _Queen of Hearts_ , admiral of her own fleet of ships, one of the nine Pirate lords. Also known as the Black-Heart Queen, her rise to power had been bloody, and even though she was possibly the only of the lords he didn't currently owe money to, Jack was in no rush to make her acquaintance. They said she was a madwoman, that she would shoot a man as soon as look at him, and she wasn't afraid to get blood under her nails. Why they were so specific about the last part, Jack didn't know...and he didn't want to. Black-Hearted Bess had taken over from Chevalle, keeping her in the Mediterranean for the most part and away from the Caribbean, but there were no rules in the code prohibiting her from going where she chose. 

No, it didn't bode well at all.

So Jack wasn't really surprised when Tommy's already aloof tone turned cold with his next words: "Putting out fires you traitors started."

There were cries of dismay - "Tommy, no - " "We didn't - " "She can't think - "

"So Black-Hearted Bess sends her apologies," Tommy spoke over the lot of them, pulling his pistol from his belt at the same time as his companions did: "that she can't be here doing this herself."

Tommy and his companions opened fire: shooting into the cell until every man there was silent and still. Jack remained at the bars of his cell, watching the three pirates stare into the cell, looking for any signs of life.

Clearly, it was worth the wait - one of the smaller pirates, a slender woman with cropped blonde hair fired one last shot, presumably getting rid of the last survivor, before the three of them headed down the walkway towards Jack's own cell, pistols still drawn.

Despite the possibility that they were a threat, Jack still didn't move away from the bars. Big bad Bess had no quarrels with Jack - not that he knew of, at least - and Tommy still had the key to the cell: the key Jack needed if he didn't want to be sent to the gallows tomorrow. He wasn't sure how he was going to get it off Tommy, but if the other man left then Jack would have no chance, so he had to try something.

He started by using the rags around his wrist to flag the three of them down: "One would think that, after committing such a cold blooded act, the three of you may want to do something to reclaim some good will from the powers that be."

The blonde woman's eyes fixed on the rags sticking out from the bars, the blue ice cold and as sharp as a biting winter gale: "The powers that be? Our admiral is the only powers that be we need good will from, and I feel our cold blooded act will put us in rather good stead with her."

"Then perhaps you would just like to help a fellow pirate out?" Jack pushed.

"And why would we help a useless pirate such as yourself?" the third member of the group - this one either another woman, with ginger hair and flashing green eyes - sneered, rather rudely in Jack's humble opinion.

"Not our fault you got yourself in a jail cell." Tommy agreed, sneering down at the rags Jack was still holding out like a peace offering, although he soon withdrew them. They were his rags - he wasn't going to give Tommy the chance to reach out and snatch them: "What's your name?"

Offended by the fact he was not instantly recognised, Jack drew back and puffed himself up indignantly: "I am _Captain_. Jack. Sparrow."

The three of them stared back at him blankly, showing no reaction at all.

Not exactly the reaction Jack had been expecting...but, well, he supposed he'd had worse reactions. None of them had tried to shoot him or threaten him with bodily harm upon learning his name, at least.

It was a small mercy, but Jack would take what he could get.

"And how'd you come by that pearl on your wrist, _Captain_ Jack Sparrow?" Tommy asked, nodding to Jack's wrist...where Beatrix's earring was gleaming softly in the moonlight, no longer hidden by the rags Jack had taken off to wave down the pirates.

"This old thing?" Jack knew better than to clam up - if they knew it had value to him, they could try and take it, and Jack wasn't sure he wouldn't rather go to the gallows: "Had it since before I ran away to sea. Why? You don't happen to have the other one, do you? I could do with the matching set."

The three shared an uneasy look.

Whatever the earring meant to them, it was clearly something important. And it was equally clear that, whatever that important thing may be, they didn't want to speak about it. Normally that would make Jack relentless; an unanswered question was the worst kind of itch, nigh unquenchable, but in this situation? He'd gladly accept their uncertainty if it meant they asked no further question about Beatrix's pearl. So when they didn't answer, he merely shrugged, and started rewrapping the rags around his wrist, making a show of 'carelessly' smothering the pearl in material, as if he couldn't care less. Hopefully, out of their sight would equal out of mind, and they could get back to the matter at hand.

Getting Jack out of this cell.

"No? Shame. Hows about, to make up for my disappointment, you hand over that key and I can be on my merry way?"

None of the three responded. The silence dragged on, and on, and on, until Jack wondered if perhaps they had been frozen somehow. He looked up and down the small walkway to see if a witch had appeared from somewhere - _he wouldn't put it past Tia Dalma to do something like this just to make his escape a little trickier_ \- but to no avail. They weren't frozen by a witch, at least not one Jack could see.

It made him uneasy, even when the blonde nodded at Tommy and he reached out to unlock the door. It didn't seem like a rescue attempt, or even an effort to help...it seemed like a trap they were about to spring.

  
Wondering just what they were planning, Jack took another slow step back away from the bars, and tried to plan his next move. They didn’t know who he was, or recognise his name, so it was unlikely they were after revenge or a bounty, which was...positive, Jack supposed, but didn’t answer why they were still watching him in anticipation. Their wary eyes never left him, not even when Tommy handed the blonde the key and she stepped forwards to unlock the door. She had her own eyes glued to him, the blue of his eyes seeming to pierce right through to his very soul.

  
  
  
  
_I hate those eyes - and I’m sure I’m not the only one. If she isn’t careful looking at people like that, she’s going go lose them._

  
  
  
  
It was an errant thought, on Jack dismissed when she slipped into the cell, followed by her ginger compatriot. She moved with a confidence that told Jack she was not inexperienced in a fight...and that she was currently expecting one.

  
Of course, as much as he hated to disappoint a lady, Jack had no intention of brawling against three other pirates when there was an escape to be made. He bolted, feinting right and then jerking to the left to try and get past Tommy, still leaning in the doorway, but even though he managed to trick the big man, the women were quicker. Or were expecting the trick.

  
There was a startling blow to the back of his head, the pain so sharp and sudden Jack saw stars before everything went black.

The stars remained, too, when he slowly started to regain his senses: the pain duller, now, but throbbing rather unpleasantly. It hurt like the devil, resulting in Jack coming to slower - _and sloppier_ \- fashion than he would’ve liked. Hell, he almost forgot to keep his eyes shut as he took stock of his situation, and that was about the easiest trick in the book.

  
He could only hope the few moments where he had forgotten to keep his breathing slow and deep, like he was still out, had gone unnoticed. Fortunately, the men lugging him around (Tommy and his lady friends had apparently handed him over to someone else, rather unhelpful) didn’t seem to be paying too much attention to him.

  
  
  
_Their mistake_.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but it was clearly long enough to get him onto a ship. The world rocked gently beneath his feat - a ship at the docks, not on the waves of the open ocean. He was below deck, with no wind against his face or the smell of the sea in his nose. And, most importantly for his escape, he was being held up under the arms, but he wasn't shackled or bound in any way. Whoever had captured him had clearly underestimated him.

Or believed fear of their captain would instill enough fear to keep him from trying to escape. He had doubt about where he'd been bought; the feculent cuttlefish who had brought him here knew he knew who employed them, and had either brought him to their captain, or to Black-Hearted Bess herself, and in either case a smart man would try to cause as little trouble as possible.

Fortunately, Jack had never thought of himself as a particularly smart man. He allowed himself to be dragged through a doorway, the men turning sideways to get him through the narrow space, before coming to a halt, one of them clearing his throat to get someone's attention:

"Admiral. The pirate Abbott informed us about."

Black-Hearted Bess it was then - Jack felt honoured, truly - though she didn't sound best pleased: "Well, who is he?"

"Calls hi'self Captain Jack Sparrow, Admiral."

"I don't know a Jack Sparrow."

Jack looked up through his lashes to sight of a woman dressed in green sitting at a table covered in maps and navigational charts...and then see auburn hair glowing in the candlelight: the colour changing from gleaming copper to crimson to deep, dark blood with every slight shift of the shoulders it was draped across, making his head jerk up and his breath catch in his throat: "What about Jack Teague?"

Green eyes looked up from the maps on the table just as sharply as Jack had, fixing on his and widening in shock: "Jack?"

"Beatrice...I..." Jack stepped forwards, and the expression on Beatrice - now known to everyone else Black-Hearted Bess - face stopping her crew from even trying to hold him back.

They met in the middle, Beatrice flinging her arms around his neck as his came up around her waist.

For the first time in a long time, Jack's heart settled.

He'd found her.


End file.
